Emilie Sommer, a wedding photographer based in Portland, Maine has a wonderful history in photojournalism. She worked at The Washington Post as a picture editor before moving to the north east to establish her business which has blossomed. Her heart, I can tell, is still in telling stories using the visual medium. She founded the Roots Workshop, a popular gathering for photographers who wish to flex their photojournalism skills.

One of things that Emilie has done for her business is expand it and open it up so that associate photographers under her company's banner can also serve wedding clients throughout the year. Emilie will be presenting at Inspire Photo Retreats, a conference that meets annually, from February 9th through the 11th in Portland, Maine. Her topic will address the necessary steps a studio must take before hiring or employing associate photographers.

Emilie and I chatted briefly about her presentation and the fact that this year Inspire Photo Retreats takes place in her backyard! Give this a listen:

If you are coming to Inspire Photo Retreats, please stop by and say hello to all the speakers. That's one of the things that differentiates Inspire from other – your ability to simply walk up to anyone you want to and chat with them about anything that is related to photography or life in general.

Here is a small selection of images from Jessica's portfolio, some showing how the final salt prints will look after one has processed them.

Hands-on workshops like these distinguish Inspire Photo Retreats, where everyone is encouraged to roll up their sleeves and play and do something completely out of the ordinary. Jessica's workshop will be on Monday, a time when I have already signed up for another workshop, but I hope to learn more about salt prints from her when we meet in Portland, Maine.

Inspire Photo Retreats is unique gathering of photographers that takes place every year. This year, it will be at The Westin, in Portland, Maine, from February 9th through the 11th. I hope you have registered for this sold-out conference!

CJ Chilvers is a writer, and dare I say, “thinker,” behind one of my favorite blogs for photographers called, A Lesser Photographer. By profession, he is a technical writer based in Chicago. In addition to “A Lesser Photographer” he writes at This Life of Leisure.

I cornered Chilvers into a quick interview because we very rarely see him or hear his voice. I was curious to know more about why he started A Lesser Photographer, what made the blog so popular.

David duChemin writes about the book, “The Lesser Photographer by CJ Chilvers is about escaping the gear trap and focusing on what matters: the things that actually make better photographs. Things like creativity and authenticity. So instead of worrying about your f-stop, you can concentrate on doing more with less. Less gear. Less comparison. Less “should” and “ought” and “if only,” and more of you, reflected in your work.”

Anyway, before I get completely sidetracked here is my conversation with CJ Chilvers:

Kirk Mastin and I connected through Twitter. It was only when I spoke to him (scroll down to see the video interview), that I discovered he and I shared a passion for story-telling and a background in photojournalism. Kirk uses film cameras of all types.

[blogshow id=9cb2 player=1 autoplay=0 toolbar=1]

In my interview, I ask him about that and the purported demise of film (especially as Kodak is now officially bankrupt). I also ask him about his experiences photographing wedding and engagement sessions. Check out his responses.

I caught up with Kirk when he was visiting San Francisco. So, the only connection to the Internet he had was through his iPhone. Please bear in mind that the interview has its moments; where I am convinced Kirk is in a kung-fu movie and the audio and video didn't quite sync up.

As I mentioned a few days back, I had the honor of meeting both David Hobby and Joe McNally during their Flash Bus stop in Boston. Thanks to Adorama – The Photography People, I was able to interview them both. If you haven't seen the interview with David Hobby yet, please check it out now.

If you have any of his books or you have attended Joe McNally's presentations in the past, please comment below.

Please thank Adorama again for making this interview possible. When they say they are the “Photography People,” I know they mean it. One way you can help Tiffinbox and yourself is by ordering all your photographic gear through them. Heck, if they are the go-to-store for Joe McNally's professional needs, why not for you?